University of Georgia Athletics
1999-2000 RELEASES
June 28, 2006 | Women's Basketball
August 3, 2000
WILLIAMS TO OVERSEE FUTURE REVENUE SPORTS
Nashville, Tenn. --- Carla Williams, a three-time All-SEC guard and former assistant coach for Georgia's Lady Bulldog basketball team, was named Assistant Director of Athletics for Future Revenue Sports by Vanderbilt Director of Athletics Todd Turner on Thursday (August 3).
Williams is presently finishing her Ph.D. degree at Florida State, where she also serves as an academic mentor. She is a former basketball player and assistant coach at Georgia and has extensive experience as both a radio and television commentator.
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity," Williams says. "I know that Todd Turner and the athletic department are committed to building winners on and off the field. I am excited to be a part of that process."
Williams will be the administrative contact for all Vanderbilt varsity teams except football and men's and women's basketball, which are handled by Senior Associate Director Brad Bates. She replaces June Stewart, who retired last month.
Williams has primarily focused on obtaining her doctorate degree in the past year but has also been in the academic counseling program at Florida State since 1998. Prior to that, she had been Florida State's Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development and Life since 1997.
Williams worked as a color commentator and feature reporter for the Sunshine Network, broadcasting Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball games. She also did features on student-athletes during Florida State's televised games.
Much of her early career was spent at her alma mater, Georgia. She was Assistant Director for Compliance for one year and was an assistant coach for Georgia's nationally prominent women's basketball program. During her five-year stint as coach, the Lady Bulldogs won the 1996 SEC title and made NCAA Final Four appearances in 1995 and '96.
A native of LaGrange, Ga., and the former Carla Green, Williams put together an outstanding career as a player at Georgia. A seldom-used reserve on the 1986 SEC Championship team, she blossomed into a full-time starter as a sophomore and finished with 1,115 career points, then the 13th-best total in UGA history. That tally has since slipped to No. 18. She also ranks sixth on the school1s all-time assist list (425) and fifth on the career steals list (238). Williams was an Honorable Mention All-SEC pick as a sophomore and junior, and she made the All-SEC second team in 1989.
Her husband, Brian Williams, is currently a professor at Florida State. They have two daughters, Carmen, 4, and Camryn, 1. She begins her assignment August 17.
Date: June 14, 2000
Lady Bulldogs' Attendance Ranks 16th Nationally
Athens --- The University of Georgia women's basketball team, which won a school-record 32 games during the 1999-2000 season, also established several records at the box office.
According to national attendance figures released in this week's edition of NCAA News, the Lady Bulldogs averaged 4,021 spectators for 12 home dates during the campaign, which ranked No. 16 nationally. That average represented an increase of 28 percent from what Georgia drew during its 1998-99 Final Four campaign.
"These numbers are a credit to the commitment our team has made toward playing an exciting brand of basketball and the outstanding job done by Tim George of our marketing and promotions office,"
head coach Andy Landers said.
This year's numbers also topped the previous Lady Bulldog marks for both average and total attendance of 3,348 and 47,154, respectively, established during the 1996-97 season. Interestingly, the total attendance record was broken with just 12 home dates, two fewer than the 1996-97 schedule featured.
The Lady Bulldogs drew those impressive numbers without the benefit of a very favorable home schedule. Georgia hosted only three weekend regular-season home games last season, averaging 7,998 fans for wins over Tennessee, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Highlighting those victories was a sellout crowd of 10,523 on hand for the Lady Dogs' 78-51 ESPN2 nationally televised win over the Lady Vols on MLK Jr. Day.
Georgia's attendance figures finished second among Southeastern Conference schools and above any ACC institution.
Georgia will once again be among the nation's top teams during the 2000-01 season. The Lady Dogs return four starters -- twins Coco and Kelly Miller and "Flintstones" Deana "Tweety" Nolan and Tawana McDonald -- from the explosive lineup which won the SEC Championship and reached the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA Tournament. In addition, Landers will welcome one of the nation's top recruiting classes comprised of three of the top 50 prospects in the country -- Ebony Felder, Christi Thomas and Yolanda "Lonnie" Whigham.
"With the momentum and excitement we've created both on and off the court, I'm hopeful we can push into the top-10 in attendance next season," Landers said.
Date: February 14, 2000
Kelly Miller Named SEC Player Of The Week
Athens, Ga. --- Kelly Miller, a 5-10, junior, guard from Rochester, Minn., was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after achieving a major milestone in league history during last Thursday's win over South Carolina.
Miller, who was named preseason first-team All-America by the Associated Press and was listed as one of the top 10 candidates for Naismith National Player of the Year honors, scored 11 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out three assists and collected three steals in Georgia's 84-61 win over the Lady Gamecocks in the Lady Dogs' only game last week. In the process,
Miller became the first women's basketball player in SEC history to compile 1,500 points, 400 assists and 200 steals during her junior season. Miller also ascended to Georgia's top 10 career leaders lists in steals during the contest. She has now tallied 201 in under three seasons, tying Lady Hardmon and Wanda Holloway for the No. 8 spot on the ledger and bumping the previous No. 10, Katrina McClain. The feat continued an impressive string Miller has put together of climbing in Lady Bulldog annals over the past five games. She has moved up on the scoring, assists and/or steals listed in each contest, from No. 13 to No. 9 in scoring and from No. 7 to No. 3 in assists.
The Lady Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches and AP media polls, respectively. Georgia is 24-2 overall and 9-1 in the SEC, tied atop the league standings with Tennessee. Among SEC leaders, Miller currently ranks fifth in scoring (15.8), second in free throw percentage (.843), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.31), sixth in assists (4.81) and ninth in steals (2.27). Georgia travels to Lexington, Ky., this Thursday to face Kentucky in a FOX Sports Net South-televised game. The Lady Dogs are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and are 7-0 on television this season.
Date: November 9, 1999
Kelly Miller Named AP Pre-Season All-American
Athens, Ga. --- Kelly Miller, a 5-10, junior, guard from Rochester, Minn., was selected to the Associated Press preseason All-America team released Tuesday, basically anointing her as one of the nation's top five players according to key national women's basketball media.
"Kelly is certainly deserving of such recognition," Georgia coach Andy Landers said. "She does so many things well that other people don't even think about. It amazes me. In addition to her being a talented and skilled player -- as evidenced statistically by her averages in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and shooting percentages -- she thinks about and takes care of so many other things on the court that help our basketball team. If you could somehow create a statistic to measure those items -- 'smart plays' -- Kelly would probably lead the country."
Miller was named to the Kodak All-America team last season, becoming the first Lady Bulldog ever to earn a spot on the prestigious unit as a sophomore. She also earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference recognition from both league media and coaches during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. Miller, a pre-med major who sports a 3.37 grade point average, was named to the GTE/CoSIDA District III Academic All-America squad last spring as well.
"It's nice to be mentioned as one of the top players, but individual awards are not what I'm concerned with," Miller said. "As a team, we want to win the national championship this season. That would mean much more to me and my teammates than anything any of us could do as individuals."
Statistically speaking, Miller has already carved an impressive place in the Georgia record books. She reached the 1,000-point scoring plateau at the second-fastest pace in Lady Bulldog history, doing so in only 57 games. Miller enters the 1999-2000 season already ranked No. 16 on Georgia's career scoring (1,117 points) and No. 10 in assists (314) lists.
In 1997-98, Miller became the first freshman ever to lead the Lady Bulldogs in assists (5.9) and steals (2.7), and she threw in scoring (17.5) for good measure. Among SEC individuals, Miller completed the season ranked seventh in scoring, tied for second in steals, third in assists and fourth in free throw percentage. Miller was named first-team freshman All-America by both the Women's Basketball Journal and the Women's Basketball News Service.
Last winter, Miller led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring, assists and steals. Her total of 628 points was the seventh-best single season tally in UGA history. Miller was again one of the most prominent names in SEC stats, ranking third in scoring, second in free throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage, fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio, fifth in assists, sixth in three-pointers and 12th in steals. In addition to her position on the Kodak squad, Miller was named second-team All-America by the Women's Basketball Journal and the Women's Basketball News Service.
The 1999-2000 Lady Bulldogs return four starters and three additional letterwinners who started seven or more games for a team which finished 27-7 and reached the NCAA Final Four last season. Georgia has now advanced to three Final Fours in the last five years and is one of only four schools in the nation to reach five Final Fours. The Lady Dogs' tallies of NCAA Tournament games played and won ranked third in the nation, and Georgia moved up to the No. 5 position on the Associated Press all-time women's basketball poll following last season.
A top-three pick by virtually every preseason publication, the Lady Bulldogs open their 1999-2000 season next Monday (November 15) against Alabama-Birmingham in the first round of the preseason Women's NIT. Tip-off for that game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum.
Date: November 8, 1999
Lady Dogs Set To Open Season
The Georgia Lady Bulldogs open their 1999-2000 campaign with high hopes next Monday. The Lady Dogs host Alabama-Birmingham in the first round of the pre-season WNIT at 7:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia returns four starters and three additional letterwinners who started seven or more game a year ago when the Lady Dogs finished 27-7 overall and reached the NCAA Final Four for the third time in the last five years.
"I'm ready. We're ready," Andy Landers said. "We're a team that will benefit from playing. I think that this team has the maturity to understand that as the early part of the season progresses there will be situations we'll need to address and concentrate our attention to improve."
Georgia has never participated in the pre-season WNIT, although the Lady Dogs claimed the championship in their only post-season WNIT appearance back in 1981.
Georgia knocked off Pittsburgh 100-69 and California 80-68 before defeating Arizona State 75-73 in overtime to capture the title. Cynthia Collins and Wanda Holloway were named to the WNIT All-America team. The Lady Bulldogs are 0-1 all-time versus UAB. The Lady Blazers defeated Georgia 82-70 during the 1981 AIAW Region III Tournament in Valdosta, Ga., ironically the game before the Lady Dogs began their WNIT run that season.
Georgia Downs Slovakian Team
Senior forward-center Angie Ball scored 19 points to lead three Georgia Lady Bulldogs in double figures in an 81-67 win over Slovan Bratislava, a Slovakian club team, last Saturday night in Athens.
"Exhibition games are like a box of Cracker Jacks," Andy Landers said afterward. "You just play them and see what the surprises are. It's a good thing that not everything is a surprise.
"I'm not especially surprised that we executed really well at times (on offense), and I'm not surprised that three or four of our returning players are playing at a higher level. We did learn a couple things from tonight: our shooters need to shoot the ball better, we can rebound better and defensively we have a long way to go."
Ball connected on 8 of 12 attempts from the floor, including 4 of 5 in the second stanza. National Player of the Year candidate Kelly Miller chipped in 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals in just 22 minutes of action, while Deana Nolan added 12 points. Tawana McDonald grabbed a game-high 12 boards for the Lady Bulldogs.
The Lady Bulldogs were sluggish early, trailing 15-14 with 11:45 left in the first half and leading by just one at the 6:27 mark. A 17-9 run to close the period gave Georgia a 39-30 lead at intermission.
Slovan Bratislava opened the second half with a 16-4 run of its own to garner a 46-43 lead with 14:52 left before Landers' starters returned to the floor. The Lady Dogs then responded with an 18-4 spurt which put the game in hand.
"This week our concentration in practice will be on the defensive end," Landers said. "We learned first hand the importance of our defense off the ball and our weakside intensity."
Crawford Misses Exhibition
Shala Crawford, a 6-4, junior college transfer from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, missed the Lady Dogs' exhibition game Slovan Bratislava.
Crawford felt faint during Georgia's Friday afternoon practice session at Stegeman Coliseum. She was taken to Athens' St. Mary's Hospital and admitted for tests to identify the cause. Those examinations were negative and Crawford was release on Sunday. She is expected to return to practice this week.
"I'm pleased that a battery of tests were administered and no problems were found," Andy Landers said.
New Home Is Old Home
The Lady Bulldogs will be broadcast on Athens' WNGC FM this season; however a significant change occurred during the off-season. WNGC's signal has moved to 106.1 FM but still reaches a majority of Northeast Georgia and surrounding areas. The veteran announce team of Jeff Dantzler and Mack Poss begins its seventh season together versus UAB.
November 1, 1999
Lady Dogs To Host Exhibition, Fans' Picture Day This Weekend
Georgia's Lady Bulldogs, ranked as the nation's No. 1 team in pre-season polls by College Hoop Illustrated and Basketball Digest, will unofficially open their 1999-2000 campaign this weekend with an exhibition against Slovan Bratislava, a Slovakian Club team, at Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The following afternoon, the Lady Dogs and the Georgia men's team will co-host their annual Picture Day festivities at Stegeman from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Just over two weeks into preparations for the season head coach Andy Landers was pleased with his team's status.
"Our practices have progressed pretty much to plan," Landers said. "We still have a significant amount of improvement to make on both the offensive and defensive ends, though. I am confident when the regular season arrives we'll be where we need to be."
With four starters and three additional letterwinners who started seven or more games during last year's Final Four campaign returning this fall, Landers looks to the exhibition as a chance to see how other players fit into the fold.
"I'm reasonably confident the returning players who played a lot last season will play well together," Landers said. "What the exhibition allows us to evaluate is how much some of the players who didn't play as much have improved and look at the new players to see where they're at in our team concept."
Georgia Basketball Picture Day
The Lady Bulldog and Bulldog basketball teams will co-host their annual Fans' Picture Day this Sunday afternoon from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum.
The teams will be introduced before interactive challenges involving players and selected fans are conducted on the Coliseum playing floor. Both teams will then be available for pictures and autographs from approximately 2:40-4:00.
"This is something our team is excited about," Andy Landers said. "This is a great chance for our players to meet, greet and thank our fans for their support. On game nights, the opportunity to interact with our fans doesn't exist. Our players and staff are looking forward to doing that on Sunday."
Lady Dogs A Pre-Season Fave
As would be expected with any Final Four team returning four starters and a wealth of talented newcomers, Georgia's Lady Bulldogs have been at or near the top of every pre-season publication's top 25 poll. College Hoop Illustrated and Basketball Times both installed the Lady Dogs as its favorite to win the national title, while no other ranking service has listed Georgia lower than No. 4.
A review of several prominent pre-season top-10s follow:
College Hoop Ill. Basketball Digest 1.Georgia 1.Georgia 2.Connecticut 2.Tennessee 3.UCLA 3.Connecticut 4.Tennessee 4.UCLA 5.Rutgers 5.Rutgers 6.La. Tech 6.North Carolina 7.Old Dominion 7.La. Tech 8.Duke 8.Iowa State 9.North Carolina 9.Notre Dame 10.Purdue 10.Kansas Athlon's Lindy's 1.Connecticut 1.Tennessee 2.Georgia 2.Rutgers 3.Tennessee 3.Georgia 4.UCLA 4.Connecticut 5.Rutgers 5.Iowa State 6.La. Tech 6.UCLA 7.Iowa State 7.La. Tech 8.Notre Dame 8.Notre Dame 9.North Carolina 9.Penn State 10.UCSB 10.Auburn WBB Jounal Street & Smith's 1.Connecticut 1.Rutgers 2.Georgia 2.Tennessee 3.Rutgers 3.Connecticut 4.UCLA 4.Georgia 5.Iowa State 5.UCLA 6.Tennessee 6.Iowa State 7.La. Tech 7.Notre Dame 8.North Carolina 8.La. Tech 9.Auburn 9.Auburn 10.Marquette 10.Penn State
Kelly Miller is virtually a consensus pre-season All-American, chosen first-team by Street & Smith's, the Women's Basketball Journal and the Women's Basketball News Service and second-team by Athlon's and Lindy's. Coco Miller was honored as third-team All-America by the Women's Basketball News Service and honorable mention by the Women's Basketball Journal and Street & Smith's.
October 11, 1999
Lady Dogs Set To Open Practice
The Georgia Lady Bulldogs officially begin preparations for their 1999-2000 campaign this Saturday, October 16, the first date practice is allowed under NCAA guidelines.
The Lady Dogs return four starters -- Angie Ball, Tawana McDonald, Coco Miller and Kelly Miller -- and four additional letterwinners from last season's Final Four team, which completed the year with a 27-7 record. Of the four other returnees, three -- Kiesha Brown, Camille Murphy and Deana Nolan -- started seven or more games last season.
Andy Landers also welcomes five scholarship newcomers, junior college transfers Shala Crawford and Tiuanna Briggans and prep standouts Mary Beth Lycett, Tina Taylor and Tameiko Washington.
Georgia has been a consensus top-5 pick by every pre-season publication released to date.
"It's exciting to begin practice every fall," Landers said. "Perhaps there's even more optimism this particular year, and rightfully so because we have so many experience players. Added to that, we have the eagerness and excitement of our new players. Our pre-season conditioning has gone very well, and our players know they're maturing."
The Landers Milestone Watch
Andy Landers opens his 21st season in Athens this fall in pursuit of two major victory milestones...one is virtually a "gimme" while the other is reachable, but only with a school-record number of wins.
The Lady Bulldogs will open the campaign with Landers sporting 486 victories at Georgia and 568 overall in his collegiate coaching career.
With four starters back from a Final Four effort, it's safe to say he will most likely capture his 500th win with the Lady Dogs sometime in January. Should things go exceptionally well, Landers might collect career win No. 600 as well.
While the Lady Bulldog season record for wins is 30 (in both 1984 and 1986), this year's squad has the potential luxury of four "exempt" games during the pre-season NIT which will not court toward UGA's 26-game regular-season total.
Regardless, Landers will join those ranks at one of the quickest paces to date, as shown below.
Fastest To 500 (Division I)
Rk. Coach Games 1. Vivian Stringer 613 2. Jody Conradt 615 3. Pat Summitt 624 4. Joe Ciampi 653 5. Debbie Ryan 672 6. Rene Portland 675 7. Theresa Grentz 677 8. Mike Granelli 692 9. Sylvia Hatchell 702 10. Sue Gunter 724 Landers -- 486 wins in 634 games
Fastest To 500 (One School)
Rk. Coach Games 1. Jody Conradt, Texas 589 2. Pat Summitt, Tennessee 624 3. Debbie Ryan, Virginia 672 4. Mike Granelli, St. Peter's 692 5. Kay Yow, N.C. State 705 6. Marian Washington, Kansas 774 Landers -- 486 wins in 634 games
Fastest To 600 (Overall)
Rk. Coach Games 1. Pat Summitt 734 2. Jody Conradt 753Vivian Stringer -- 595 in 778 games
Sue Gunter -- 588 in 854 games
Kay Yow -- 569 in 802 games
During My Summer Vacation, I....
Several Lady Dogs did not take vacations from the hardwood during the summer. And the fruits of the labor -- from Spain to Dallas -- were plentiful. Coco and Kelly Miller were key members of the U.S. team which won the silver medal at the World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Kelly started all six World University games, opening the competition as the team's '2' guard but moving to the point after Florida's Brandi McCain injured her knee in the opener. Miller averaged 10.2 points in a team-high 28.8 minutes of action per game. She added in 4.0 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals a game. Coco averaged 8.3 points, the U.S.'s leading scorer off the bench, and connected on a backcourt-best 52.8 of her field goal attempts. In addition to the Millers, freshman Mary Beth Lycett, a two-time Miss Georgia Basketball selection, was a member of the Georgia Magic AAU team which claimed the 18-under national title in Dallas.
September 7, 1999
Kelly Miller Among Top Naismith Candidates;
Coco Miller Also Listed In Pre-Season Favorites
Athens, Ga. ---- Georgia junior Kelly Miller is one of the top 10 pre-season candidates for Naismith National Player of the Year, awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The Tipoff Club released its list of top candidates for the Naismith on Thursday. Coco Miller, Kelly's twin sister, is among 20 additional players listed as "best of the rest" from early balloting.
"It's a tremendous honor not only for Kelly and Coco but also for our basketball program," head coach Andy Landers said. "The hard work and time they have invested to become outstanding basketball players is starting to pay dividends with this type of recognition. Their consideration for the Naismith is warranted."
Kelly Miller was a consensus All-American a year ago, earning a spot on the prestigious Kodak All-America team. She was named first-team All-SEC by both league coaches and media for the second straight year.
Coco Miller has been named first-team All-SEC by league coaches and second-team All-SEC by media in each of her first two seasons in Athens. She was named All-SEC Tournament after leading the Lady Bulldogs to the finals last season.
Saudia Roundtree is the only Lady Bulldog in history to capture the Naismith, doing so in 1996 to become the first woman in SEC history to claim college hoops' top honor.
The 1999-2000 Lady Dogs are expected to be a consensus top-five pick during the pre-season. Georgia returns four starters and lost just one senior from a 27-7 team which reached the Final Four last spring. In addition, three more Lady Bulldogs started seven or more games last season.
Landers, a three-time National Coach of the Year, has averaged 24.3 wins a year during his 20 seasons in Athens -- third best among all active Division I coaches with as much tenure. In addition, Georgia is one of only four schools in the country to reach the NCAA Final Four on five occasions (1983, '85, '95, '96 and '99), and the Lady Dogs' total of 18 NCAA Tournament appearances is the second-best tally in the nation. Georgia now ranks third nationally in all-time NCAA Tournament wins (32) and games played (48) as well.
September 1, 1999
Women's Basketball Schedule Released
Athens, Ga. --- The Georgia women's basketball team, which returns four starters from a Final Four effort, will face many of the teams which also participated in last season's NCAA Tournament during the Lady Bulldogs' 1999-2000 campaign. Georgia will play at least 14 regular-season games against teams invited to the most recent edition of "March Madness," a number which could grow to 17 depending on in-season tournament play.
"While I think last year's team accomplished a great deal in reaching the Final Four, I still think we're a team that needs to develop," head coach Andy Landers said. "This is a schedule that I know will challenge and develop this group. We created a non-conference schedule that is conducive to getting our new players into the flow while also giving us a chance to evaluate them and how they fit in as the team is getting into a flow."
Georgia opens the year in the pre-season National Invitation Tournament with a first-round matchup against Alabama-Birmingham on Monday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Athens. With a victory over the Lady Blazers, the Lady Dogs would face either Virginia Tech or Liberty, both NCAA participants last spring. A potential Final Four rematch with Duke looms in the NIT semifinals. Additional NIT participants that were in the 1999 field of 64 include Boston College, UC-Santa Barbara, Illinois, Maine and St. Mary's (Calif.)
The Lady Dogs will then travel to Orono, Maine, on Nov. 26-27 for the University of Maine's Dead River Company Classic, which features three additional NCAA squads. Georgia will meet Stephen F. Austin in the first round, with Maine hosting St. Francis (Pa.) in the other contest.
The December portion of the schedule is highlighted by contests against three 1999 NCAA teams, with a key matchup in the Southeastern Conference opener, a homecoming of sorts and an SEC-Big 10 date in California. Georgia, which finished third in the SEC last season, opens conference play against LSU, which finished second, on Thursday, Dec. 2 at Stegeman Coliseum. On Sunday, Dec. 12, Georgia travels to Cookeville, Tenn., to meet defending Ohio Valley Conference champ Tennessee Tech, Landers' alma mater. The Lady Bulldogs will take on Ohio State in the first round of The Beach Classic in Long Beach, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 19.
The West Coast trip is the third of three traditional holiday tournaments, which also includes a visit to Houston for the Hilton Houston Hobby Airport Classic.
"All three tournaments present unique challenges," Landers said. "Stephen F. Austin and Maine are both traditionally 20 game winners, while St. Francis has been an NCAA regular for several years. Houston is an up-and-coming program, and the matchup with Ohio State is a very exciting SEC-Big 10 intersectional game."
Georgia kicks off the calendar year with a visit to NCAA participant Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 2 in another SEC-Big 10 showdown. The remaining NCAA teams are among the record eight SEC squads invited to the 1999 tourney -- two games each against Alabama and Florida and single dates versus Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Georgia will take on the Lady Vols in Athens on Monday, Jan. 17 -- Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- at 1:00 p.m. in an ESPN2 nationally televised date.
"I think the SEC is on the verge of being the most competitive its ever been," Landers said. "It may well be there this season. We welcome the challenges the league presents and look forward to playing our two new round-robin opponents, Alabama and Vanderbilt. They are two teams which have enjoyed great success in our conference and in the NCAAs over the past few years."
The Lady Dogs are expected to be a consensus top-five pick during the pre-season. Georgia lost just one senior from a 27-7 team and returns seven players who started seven or more games.
Landers, a three-time National Coach of the Year, has averaged 24.3 wins a year during his 20 seasons in Athens -- third best among all active Division I coaches with as much tenure. In addition, Georgia is one of only four schools in the country to reach the NCAA Final Four on five occasions (1983, '85, '95, '96 and '99), and the Lady Dogs' total of 18 NCAA Tournament appearances is the second-best tally in the nation. Georgia now ranks third nationally in all-time NCAA Tournament wins (32) and games played (48) as well.
